The Star and the Sea
by BlueRose430
Summary: Star is feeling feels. Marco and Jackie are together, but is it what they both want? And the Spellbook is in the hands of Ludo with something worse possibly waiting in the shadows. Star vs. The Forces of Evil/Starco ship trash, with a fun gimmick: all the chapter titles either relate to Stars (Star) or the Ocean/Sea (Jackie). Symbolism, kiddies!
1. Chapter 1: Doldrums

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I claim Star vs. The Forces of Evil**

 **Chapter 1: Doldrums**

It was almost a dream come true for Marco. It had only been 2 days since the date with Jackie Lynn Thomas, and already she and Marco had made plans to go see the new monster flick at the Echo Creek Cinema! In just two days, he'd discovered more about Jackie Lynn then he had in 10 years of distant longing. It was all he had ever wanted, this should have been the happiest time of his life! But...there was Star. The events of that day had shattered her. Her spellbook had been taken by Ludo, and Glosaryck was gone with it. Her spellbook and her mentor were both gone, and while she would never say so out loud, she was afraid that Marco would soon follow. It took everything she had just to get up these last couple mornings, and it had shown. She had always lived up to her name, an inescapable beacon of joy and excitement that lit up any room she walked into. But these last 2 days, she had been a black hole that happiness went into to never return.

Marco had never seen her like this. Star had been sad before, but he had never seen her...defeated. That's what it was. Star was completely and utterly defeated. He had tried every known method of cheering her up. Tom had even be gracious enough to take several punches directly to the face to try and find her smile. It had gotten to the point where his eye had been blackened. Nothing.

* * *

Star came down for breakfast from her room and was immediately bombarded by Marco, a plate of waffles in hand. Star simply looked away. She knew Marco was only trying to cheer her up, and while she appreciated it, Marco was part of the problem. Ever since he had officially become, ugh, _smooch buddies_ with Jackie Lynn she felt...weird. Like bad weird. Like she had a stomachful of Mewni-flies, buzzing around and all trying to burst out through her chest. Blech. Worse, she didn't know who to talk to! StarFan13 wouldn't give her any advice she couldn't think of for herself, she didn't want to strain her friendship with Janna, and while she wasn't _100%_ sure about earth traditions, she didn't exactly feel like she could talk about Marco and Jackie with...Marco or Jackie. Glosaryck was gone...wait! There WAS someone she could talk to about this! "Wow," she said to herself, "I'm actually going to do this. Things are bad. Bad, bad, _baaaaaad._ " She shuffled over to the mirror on the wall, pulling down the curtains around it. "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Call...Mom" The mirror lit up, making the weird noises it always did when making a long distance call. The mirror lit up, but it wasn't the face she was expecting to see.

"Why, STAR, my dear! Do what do I owe the pleasure?" came the booming voice of her father, King River Butterfly.

"I...was actually calling for Mom, thanks," Star replied. The king was surprised at her response. It wasn't like Star at all, it was...downright dull!

"What's happened, my dear. You look positively in the doldrums! The DOLDRUMS! Where's that boy of yours...Marco is it? He usually can help put you in a grand mood!"

"Why don't you ask Jackie Lynn Thomas where Marco is?" Star mumbled, "SHE'S his...his...SMOOCH BUDDY NOW! SHE probably could tell you exactly where Marco is!"

The king looked taken aback, "Jackie Lynn Thomas, it can't be! But that means..." The king trailed off, mumbling to himself.

"Oh well here's your mother now! I imagine she'll be far more qualified to discuss matters of...hrmph, _Smooch Buddies_ with. Good day my dear!"

Queen Moon Butterfly now showed up on her daughter's mirror, distracted by something off screen.

"Oh Star, my dear Star. What have you done this ti-", Queen Moon had looked into the mirror and seen her daughter's face. Without a word, she drew a pair of dimensional scissors from a hidden pocket of her dress, cutting a hole into the space in front of her. She stepped through the rift and into her daughter's bedroom, pulling her in for a wordless hug. Star stayed in her mother's arms for what felt like an eternity, tears running down her face. Her mother let go, pulling her out to look in her daughter's eyes.

"My poor Star...tell me all about it. I'm here...Mother's here."

* * *

Star told her mother everything. The loss of her spellbook. Glocaryck. And Marco. Normally, the Queen would be yelling at her daughter for the loss of such important things but she sensed that the spellbook was the least of Star's worries at the moment. Star was babbling, words were coming out just as quickly as the thoughts left her mind.

"But, Marco and I are just buds, right? Like I don't want to...at least I don't _think_ I want to...I want him to be happy, and he's happy with Jackie Lynn! So why do I feel all...blech?"

The Queen patted her daughter on the arm, "I believe you can answer this one all by yourself, dearie."

Star nodded silently. Her mother was absolutely right. She knew _exactly_ how she felt about Marco, how she had always felt about him. And she knew just what a massive mistake she had made.

"I always thought...I always thought that there wouldn't _be_ anyone else. It would just be him and me at the end of the day. Like we have other friends obviously but...it was always just the two of us...now _she's_ with him all the time and...why did I not see this before?"

"Marco's always been something you've taken for granted, my dear. And while he'll always be there for you there _will_ be other people that notice him. If you want him to be yours then you'll have to fight for him. Or at the very least, _ask him_."

"But...what if it's just me? What if...what if he only sees me as goofy old Star, all buddy-buddy, nothing else?"

"That's a risk you'll have to take, but if anyone will take that chance it's you. Now...let's discuss the retrieval of your book."

* * *

Meanwhile, King Butterfly was _not_ going to let his daughter see him cry. As a king - no as a _father_ , he had to be strong when his little girl was in distress. He returned to his bedroom, checked around quickly and opened the top drawer of his dresser. Pushing aside the clothes, he finally found what he was looking for: the picture that he had secretly commissioned. It was his daughter and the Diaz boy, dressed in the traditional wear of Mewnian royalty and locked in the joyful embrace of young lovers. There was no artist's signature at the bottom, instead there was one word, elegantly lettered:

 **STARCO**.

The King looked at the picture as a single tear rolled from each eye. He put the photo back and restored it to it's hiding place, quietly whispering, "Have faith...have faith and our time _will_ come."

 **Author's note: Yeah, not a lot happens. Imagine this as more of an establishing shot, getting us up to date on where things are with Star. More things will happen, promises**


	2. Chapter 2: Starlight, Star Fight

**Chapter 2: Starlight, Star Fight**

Marco was finally getting the hang of this. It had been a week now since the kiss with Jackie Lynn, and he wanted to do something special for her. So every day after school had been spent skateboarding down the hill. Now, after many, _many_ ice packs he had made it all the way down the hill without falling once. Marco threw up his arms, cried out in triumph...and hit the curb, tasting pavement for the third time that week. At least Jackie wasn't around to see that.

He still couldn't believe how lucky he was. 10 years of seemingly hopeless crushing, and in the end _she_ had asked him out? How often did that happen? He didn't get much of a chance to contemplate his good fortune, sadly, as his hand was bleeding and it stung like all hell. "Marco!" came a familiar voice. He looked up and saw Jackie Lynn coming towards him, gracefully gliding on her own board. "Marco, are you alright?!"  
"Yeah," he grimaced, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just fine. Never been better! You didn't...you didn't see that did you?"  
"I saw you wipe out! You were _not_ paying attention at all dude, you've gotta be more careful than that!"  
Jackie knelt down beside Marco, fishing a water bottle and a headband out of her backpack.  
"I can help clean this out, but it'll sting a bit. I just need you to hold still, 'kay?"  
She opened the top of the bottle, dripping water onto his hand to flush out the little bits of gravel stuck inside. He gritted his teeth at the fresh wave of pain. Now, she took his hand, tenderly wrapping the headband around it and tying it off. "What were you even doing out here anyway?" Marco could feel himself turning red and looked away quickly.  
"I, uh...I was practicing. My skateboarding. I know how much you love it, and I figured it could be something we could do together. Considering how the last time went, I wanted some practice by myself so I wouldn't embarrass you too much. I guess that didn't turn out so well..."

Jackie's eyes were still full of worry, but she couldn't help but smile. _Same old Marco,_ she thought, _always worrying about someone else.  
_ "Dude, that's one of the sweetest things anyone has done for me. But I would _never_ be embarrassed by you, Marco." She sat down on his lap, linking her arms around his neck. Marco turned red, not expecting such a bold move from her.  
" _But,_ I do want you to be careful, okay? I wouldn't want anything to happen to _this,"_ flicking his nose for emphasis. "Or _these," s_ he gently took his hands in her own. Then she leaned towards him, "And especially... _these_." She kissed him. Nothing heavy, just a casual peck on the lips. But it spoke volumes to how comfortable she felt with him. Marco's face was blood red, and he was now at a point where he could barely string a sentence together. Jackie smiled deviously at him. Deciding he had had enough for now, she slid off of his lap and stood up.  
"I was actually looking for you, some guys from school are heading down to the beach today. You want in?"  
Marco stood back up. A day at the beach might be just what he needed! "Definitely! I'll just need to run home and grab my stuff, want to come with?"  
"Sure, hey why don't you invite Star? I know that she's been bummed out since she lost that book of hers. Maybe we could try and cheer her up?"

Marco paused. He had been hoping to get more time just him and Jackie. Even though they were going with a group, he knew that the two of them would likely be left alone. But he knew Star needed him now more than ever. "Yeah, I'll ask when we stop by my house. Maybe a beach day will take her mind off things!"

* * *

It took some convincing on their part, but eventually Star relented and joined them to head down for the beach. Jackie and Marco were both skateboarding while Star rode behind them on her bike, keeping quiet the whole way there. It was only a few minutes ride there, and once they were there it didn't take long to find the rest of their group. Star noticed Janna near the back of the crowd and ran over to her.  
"Janna Banana!"  
"Hey Star! Good to see you out and about!" Janna had a beach towel at the ready, and the pair quickly found a spot to set up an umbrella and relax.  
"Why're you at the beach? This doesn't exactly seem like a Janna sort of thing."  
Janna smirked, "Yeah, I normally don't dig the sun this much. But it's worth it for the...sightseeing."  
Marco had just taken his shirt off, and Janna subtly pointed to him to prove her point. Both girls instantly felt their eyes lock onto him. He didn't have the most impressive physique, but the near daily fights with Star's enemies were certainly showing.  
"Star!" Marco called out to her. Her eyes instantly dropped, not wanting Marco to catch her staring. "Star, come play volleyball with us!" Star started to stand up but quickly stopped when she saw Jackie run up behind him, throwing her arms around his neck.  
"I'm...alright, Marco. You guys have fun." Marco frowned, surprised that Star was passing up the opportunity to learn a new Earth sport. But Jackie had taken his hand and was now beckoning him towards the volleyball nets, so he reluctantly turned away and went to join her.

Star and Janna stuck to their spot, enjoying the gentle breeze rolling off the waves. Marco kept stopping by to try and get Star to join them but each time he was turned down. Now, he and Jackie were right at the waters edge collecting seashells.  
"Nice view, huh?" Star quickly looked around to her left, she had completely forgotten that Janna was with her.  
"Uh...yeah! The ocean is really pretty near sunset!"  
Janna shook her head. "Star, you've barely taken your eyes off of him since we've gotten here." Star could feel her face turning red, and she nodded silently. There was no use trying to cover it up.  
"So when did it occur to you?"  
Star looked down, trying to avoid eye contact. "I guess I always kinda thought that way, in the back of my head. All the hugs, the Blood Moon Ball, losing my wand to save him...but it wasn't until I saw them kiss that I knew." Star looked back to where Marco and Jackie were, her face twisting into a frown as she saw them kissing once again.  
"They just keep _holding hands_ and...and _that_! All the time! Why? It's obnoxious!"  
"They're young people who like each other, I don't know how it is on Mewni but this is standard behavior on Earth," Janna replied.

Suddenly Star and Janna felt a chill in the air behind them, followed by a bright green glow. Star and Janna turned around slowly to see a hole in the air behind them. Star quickly reached into her backpack to fish out her wand, yelling at Janna to run.  
"Star Butterfly! Surprised to see me so soon?" Ludo emerged from the portal. His voice sounded different, with an edge of malice that hadn't been there before. Star felt chills at hearing it, and quickly realized that for the first time that she was _afraid_ of Ludo. He had always come to try and steal her wand with an army of monsters, but this time he came alone. _Something's changed since he's had the book_ , she said to herself. But she couldn't let Ludo see her fear. She raised her wand, but before she could call out a spell Ludo yelled out one of his own. "Shadow...BINDING GRIP!" A shadowy hand emerged from Ludo's wand, wrapping it's fingers around Star. She struggled against the hold but couldn't break free. Ludo advanced on her, a triumphant grin on his face. "That was far easier than I would have thought, Star Butterfly!" he squawked. "I've been studying your precious spellbook quite intently!" He reached for the wand that had slipped out of Star's hand when Marco's foot connected with his face, sending him flying. The hand vanished, freeing Star to retrieve her wand. "You alright, Star?" Star quickly nodded to him, raising her wand before Ludo got another chance to attack. "RAINBOW NOVA RAY!" A rainbow beam shot from her wand but Ludo quickly countered, locking the two on either side of the beam. Out of the corner of her eye, Star saw someone run up beside her. It was Jackie! She grabbed Marco, embracing him and asking if he was alright. Star's face fell, and the nasty Mewni-fly feeling came back to her stomach. Suddenly, the rainbow beam turned a wicked green, blasting both Star and Ludo backwards. Star quickly pulled herself up and looked around for Ludo, only to hear him behind her, cackling wickedly. "What's your deal, Ludo?" He grinned at her again, "This was merely a test, Star Butterfly! I only wanted to see how far I'd come!" He grabbed his dimensional scissors, cutting a hole back to Mewni. "I will return Star Butterfly, I will return to take _everything_ from you!"

Star stood there, staring dumbstruck at the spot where Ludo had just vanished. _He almost **won**_ , she thought to herself. Ludo had only had the book for a week and he already had almost overpowered her. Star wanted to cry, she felt utterly helpless. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Marco there.  
"Are you alright, Star?" She nodded silently. "You know we'll get your book _and_ Glocaryk back, right? We'll get them both back soon."  
Star looked at him, still fighting back tears. She felt her face grow red again, and to her amazement realized that she was _mad_ at him. How could he still not see that this was about more than a book of spells?  
"This isn't just about the spellbook, **_MARCO!_** " Star shoved him backwards and ran past him to where her bike was.

Marco stumbled backwards, almost falling over from shock. Star had been upset with him before but she had never pushed him like that! He quickly recovered and ran after her, calling out her name. He found her where she had left her bike, struggling with the lock. "Stupid - lock - why - won't - you - _open_!" Marco gingerly put his hand on her shoulder once again. "Star...?" Star looked back to him, the tears finally reaching her eyes.  
"What do you want Marco? Shouldn't you be back there making sure _Jackie_ is okay?" Marco was confused at the amount of anger he heard when Star said her name. What had Jackie done to incur her wrath? Then the thought finally occurred to him: was Star _jealous_ of her? His heart sank. His best friend in the world needed him most and all he had wanted to do was spend time with his girlfriend! He had to make this right.  
"Star...we'll always have Friendship Thursday. And Jackie's never coming with us on interdimensional adventures." Star looked confused. "What are you talking about Marco?" She asked. Marco tried to find the words to explain, "What I mean is...you'll always be my best friend Star. And I know I haven't been there as much as I should be, especially since I feel like you need me more than ever right now. I guess what I'm trying to say is, just because Jackie's a bigger part of my life now doesn't mean there's any less room for you." Tears kept running down Star's face, but now there was a hint of a smile to go along with it. "Thanks Marco." Star smiled to herself as she finally hugged Marco. Things still felt weird, but it was a little less than before and she was going to take what she could get. Marco helped her unlock her bike and said goodbye to Jackie, then the two of them started heading back home.  
"You want me to make nachos when we get home? You've certainly earned some!"  
"Will they be super awesome nachos?"  
"Are they ever _not_ super awesome nachos?"  
"Good point, race you home Marco!"

* * *

Back in his lair, Ludo placed the wand on the makeshift pedestal he had constructed. "So, how did I do today? Pretty impressive, right?" The wand glowed with green light, and an otherworldly voice spoke from within. _"You did **excellently** today...Your power grows with each passing day, and soon you shall be **unstoppable**."_ Ludo cackled with glee. "Yes, yes! Soon Star Butterfly will stand no chance!"  
 _"Yes, and soon you will have her wand as well as your own, and then the **universe** shall be yours for the taking." _ Ludo could hardly contain himself, things were progressing even better than he could have imagined! Laughing manically, he left the wand and went back to his bed. He had earned a long night's sleep.

* * *

Marco was awoken in the middle of the night by the light coming from Star's tower. Wiping his eyes, he quietly opened the door to his room and started shuffling down the hall. "Star...whaddya doin' up so late, Star?" He thought he could hear voices coming from her room. Was she talking to someone this late? He was at her door, but as he reached out for her doorknob he froze. Star had just said his name. She was definitely talking to someone...and she was talking about him. Her door was slightly cracked and Marco was able to peek through. Star was sitting in front of her mirror. He couldn't quite see who she was talking to but he was able to catch the end of their conversation.  
"So what do I do, Mom. Do I tell him? Do I not tell him? Do I get involved? This is nuts. Why am I so...this?"  
"Calm down Star, one thing at a time. I can't tell you whether to tell him how you feel or not, but you must let his relationship with this girl unfold however it's going too. If you involve yourself it will be lasting damage to your friendship. As for how you're feeling...it's called being in love. All you can do is let it run its course."  
"Thanks Mom, sorry for keeping you up this late. Love you, bye." Star switched off the mirror and flopped onto her bed.  
"Ughhhh, Marco...why did I wait until _now_ to figure out that I like you?"

Marco's jaw dropped.


	3. Chapter 3: Shifting Tides

**Chapter 3: Shifting Tides**

Marco could hardly believe what he had just heard. Star _liked_ him? Why was he only finding out about this now? How long had Star felt this way? Marco scurried back to his room as quietly as he could, his head filling up with questions. What was he going to say to her? What did this mean for them? What should he do? Marco could feel himself overthinking things, but he knew what he could always do in these situations: make a list. He grabbed a pen and his notebook from his deck, then sat on the edge of his bed and tried to look at things from every possible angle. After about an hour of this, he felt his eyelids growing heavy and decided he had done enough for that night. He put the notebook in his bedside stand so Star wouldn't accidentally see it if she woke him up the next day. He scanned the paper one last time, pleased with his progress. Ultimately, everything came down to one question, the question circled right in the middle of the diagram drawn up:

 _How do **I** feel?_

* * *

"Gooooood morning Diaz Family!" Star came bounding down the stairs. Marco's parents smiled, it looked like a bit of Star's cheery self had finally come back. Marco was still half asleep, having stayed up several hours later than expected. He looked up from his cereal to the smiling girl at the stairs, mumbling out a good morning. He got halfway through his sentence when he was cut short. Star looked...different? That wasn't it. Her hair was pulled up into the same messy bun she usually wore in the morning, and she was wearing the same pajamas she normally did...but for some reason, today the mere sight of her took Marco's breath away. _She doesn't look different_ , he realized, _I'm just seeing her for the first time_. He sighed to himself. One night. One night was all it had been, and already things had gotten more complicated than Marco had ever wanted.

* * *

Back at school, Marco's thoughts kept drifting back to the night before. He had felt so guilty seeing Star that morning. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't tell Star what he had heard, things had only just started to get back to normal. Something like this could cause a permanent fracture in their friendship. But he needed _something_ to help show his heart the right way to go. He had been crushing on Jackie since he had first met her, and the week they had been together had been one of the happiest of his life. But all the time he spent with Star just felt... _natural_. Being with her was as easy as breathing. "Mr. Diaz!" Marco looked up, startled to hear his name. It was his math teacher, looking right at him and tapping his foot impatiently. He had clearly been waiting for an answer from Marco for quite some time, and Marco had been too deep inside his own head to even notice. "Umm, can you repeat the question please?"

"Hey, Marco!" School had just let out for the day, and Marco was ready to go home and nap. He was walking to the bus with Star when he heard Jackie calling his name. He turned around to see her, wobbling a little from sheer exhaustion. Star gasped, then quickly clutched his arm to keep him from falling over. The pair slowed down to allow her to catch up. "Jaaackie!" Star helped Marco sit down on a nearby bench, then almost knocked Jackie over with one of her trademark hugs. Jackie quickly regained her footing, smiling and returning the gesture with enthusiasm. "Sup, Star!" Jackie turned to Marco, her face filled with concern. "What happened today, Marco? Graves was waiting on you for about 5 minutes, it's like you weren't even there! Are you doing alright?" Marco frowned. He knew exactly what been preoccupying him, but even _he_ wasn't supposed to know Star's secret. He wasn't about to go telling people if Star wasn't ready for anyone to know. "Just...a really late night. Y'know, studying and everything. I just have to get home and nap, I'll text you tonight?" Jackie still felt worried, but she figured that whatever it was, Marco could handle it. She quickly kissed him on the cheek, "I'll hold you to that!" She turned to Star, still clinging to Marco to keep him upright, "Make sure he takes that nap right away when he gets home!" Star pulled herself up to her full height, giving Jackie a quick salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

Jackie watched as Marco and Star got onto the bus, a sudden twinge of sadness touching her heart. She had been noticing Marco looking at Star all day, differently than he had before. She sat down on the bench, barely noticing it when Janna said down beside her. "You don't take the bus home with them?" She asked. Jackie looked back to her and shook her head. "Nah, I just ride home. It helps clear my head after a long day, y'know?" The pair sat in silence for a few minutes; both of them had quite a bit on their minds. Jackie finally broke the ice. "Janna, have you ever felt...in the way?" Janna looked up, surprised at the question. "What're you talking about, Jackie?" Jackie looked down, tearing up a little, "The two of them, they just feel _right_ for each other, y'know? You see them together and you think _They should be together_." Her lower lip started quivering, "I like him Janna, I _really_ like him but...I just feel like they're _soulmates,_ and I'm just getting in the way!" Janna hugged Jackie, letting the poor girl sob into her shoulder. "Trust me, I get how you're feeling. But he likes you too, Jackie! It's not like there isn't something between you guys as well." She nodded, still crying. Janna patted Jackie on the back, then sat her back up to look her in the eyes. "Besides...even if that is what it ends up coming to, _you_ made it happen." Jackie looked to her in confusion. "Jackie, do you think Marco would ever think he was good enough for someone like Star before you asked him out? Do you think Star would have been able to put a word to how she's feeling right now? Like you said, Marco and Star might be each other's soulmates, but if they wind up together it'll be because of you. That's, like, the best thing you can do for anyone!" Jackie wiped her face, finally able to smile a little bit. "I don't know if that's supposed to make me feel better or not, Janna. But...it helps a little bit. Surprisingly." Janna smiled back, then stood up to leave. Her mom's car had just arrived. Jackie waved goodbye to her, than pulled out her phone. She typed out a quick message to Marco, then after a brief hesitation sent it off.

 _Meet me tonight at the beach? I think we need to talk_

* * *

Luckily, Marco and Star's house was one of the first stops on their route. Marco managed to get all the way to the door before he passed out entirely, luckily Star was right by his side to catch him. She carried him all the way up the stairs, making note of how adorable he looked, asleep in her arms. _This is a **princess** hold_ , she realized, giggling to herself. She pushed open the door to his room, gently putting him down on his bed. Marco stirred once Star put him down, mumbling sleepily to himself. Star couldn't hear at first, but when she started tucking him in he spoke again, this time loud enough for her to hear. "Starrrrr..." Star's heart warmed at hearing her name, and after closing his door she slumped against his door with a huge grin on her face. _Marco dreams about me..._

Star twirled her way back to her tower, flopping down on her bed and sighing happily. She grabbed for her pillow, but shot upright once she grabbed it. The pillow was...wet. And sticky. And reeking of frog. Star looked at her pillow to find a scroll stuck to it. Gingerly grabbing the scroll off of her bed, Star unrolled it to read what was on the inside. It was a crudely drawn map and a message: _Star Butterfly, Ludo crazy, must be stopped, here is map to find him - Buff Frog_

Star's face fell. She fell back onto her bed once again, staring at the ceiling. She knew what needed to be done, so she closed her eyes to try and catch a few hours of sleep. After that, it would be time to find Ludo and reclaim what was hers.

* * *

Marco woke up a few hours later. Sleep hadn't offered him much relief from what was going on in his head. Star or Jackie, Jackie or Star...even in his dreams his heart was being pulled between the two girls in his life. He rolled over, grabbing his phone off of his nightstand to see the message Jackie had sent him. He frowned, wondering what Jackie needed to talk about so urgently. He sent out a quick reply, _Just woke up, meet me there in 30?_ "Marco!" his mother called from the kitchen, "Marco, your _abuela_ is on the phone, come down and say hi!" "Okay mom, just give me a minute!" Marco sat up, stretched, then started making his way down to the kitchen. His mom handed him the phone then went into the living room. " _Hola_ _abuela_!" "Marco! How are you _,_ _nieto_?" Marco smiled, his _abuela_ was always so excited to hear from him. "I'm...alright, how're you _abuela_?" "Now, Marco. What's on your mind?" Her voice was loving, yet firm, " _Abuela_ always knows if something is bothering one of her _familia_!" Marco sighed, she was right. There was no use trying to keep anything from her. "You're right, it's...about Star, actually." "Ah! And how is my little _mariposa_?" Even through the phone, Marco could hear her light up. Star had met her the last time she had come to visit, and the two of them had become fast friends. "She's alright, but...I overheard something I wasn't supposed to. Star...Star likes me. And I've never really thought of her that way but now it's like, what if I _do_? But I have a girlfriend now, her name's Jackie. I really like her too, and I just...I don't know what to do!" His _abuela_ smiled to herself, Marco was so much like his father at that age. "It will be ok, _nieto_. I know this is hard, but your heart will always have a way of knowing. All you need to do is hear what it has to say!" Marco started rapping his fingers on the table, pondering what she had just said. "Well...there was the Blood Moon. It's said to be a sign of love, and it appeared when I first kissed Jackie." "Ah, this looks likes a good sign for you and Jackie, _si_?" Marco stopped, his mind putting the final piece in place. "No...no I saw it, and the first thing that came to my mind was _Star_!" Marco facepalmed himself, it was so obvious in hindsight! " _Gracias, Abuela_...I have someone I have to talk to!" " _Adios nieto_ , and good luck!" Marco hung up, smiling to himself. His _abuela_ always gave the best advice. He ran out to the garage, grabbed his skateboard and started riding out to meet Jackie at the beach.

Back at Marco's house, Star had woken up. She packed a small backpack with snacks, Buff Frog's map, and her wand. She was all set to go, but there was still one last thing to do. She quietly closed the door to her tower, then sneaked over to Marco's room to check on him. She eased the door open, only to find the room empty. Star wondered where he had gone, but was secretly relieved. She had already decided that she was going alone this time, and Marco not being there would make it easier for her to leave. Until she could sort out how she was feeling, having Marco around in a fight was a potential opening that Ludo could exploit. But the idea of going without him still worried her. She closed his door, wiped a tear from her eye, then opened a portal to Mewni and stepped through.

* * *

Marco arrived at the beach to find Jackie waiting for him, sitting on the sand with her toes in the ocean. Marco took off his helmet and set it by his board, then sat down beside her on the shore. "Hey, Jackie. Everything alright?" Jackie sighed and put her head on Marco's shoulder. "Marco...are you happy?" Marco was taken aback by the question. "Of course I'm happy, Jackie. I mean, why wouldn't I be?" Jackie lifted her head up and turned to look Marco in the eyes. "Marco, I know something happened with you and Star." Marco looked down, of course Jackie would have noticed. "I...overheard something last night. Something I wasn't supposed to know." Jackie looked at him quizzically. "Star likes me, Jackie. She _likes_ me. I don't know what to do, we just started dating and I really like you but...I don't want to break Star's heart either. Plus, I've always kinda thought of Star that way, I just...didn't realize it until I heard how she felt." Now it was Marco's turn to be on the verge of tears, "I'm sorry Jackie...I'm so sorry..." Jackie held Marco tightly, forcing herself to stay strong for him. "Marco...it's okay. I'd always _known_ there was something between you and Star, in fact I was a little surprised when you said yes to me asking you out." Jackie squeezed Marco even tighter, "Even though we've only been dating a week, it's been one of the happiest weeks of my life. But...you and Star are drawn to each other. I'd go so far as to say you two are _soulmates_. You can't fight what's between you guys, you _shouldn't_ fight it...and neither should I." Marco sat there silently holding her, not knowing what to say. Jackie continued, "Marco, you'll always be my friend. You're one of the best friends I've ever had. But I feel like you and Star are meant to be with each other, and I think you feel that too." Marco nodded, it's what his heart had been telling him all along. Hearing Jackie say it only helped confirm that he was making the right choice. He gave her a small smile, "Thanks, Jackie. You really are something else!" Jackie returned the smile and playfully punched him on the arm. "You know it, dude. Now, isn't there something you need to tell a certain someone?" "Yeah, yeah I guess there is!" Marco hopped up, pulling on his helmet as quickly as possible. Jackie stood on the beach a moment longer, watching him speed off in the direction of his house. "Text me with the good news, dude!"

* * *

"Star!" Marco threw the front door open and started running up the stairs. "Star, I need to talk to you!" Marco was surprised that she didn't answer, despite how late it was. He had reached the door to her tower. He knocked, but there was no answer. "Star?" He pushed the door to her tower open. It was empty. Marco quickly looked around, wondering if she was taking a bath or in his room for some reason. Then, his eyes fell to her nightstand. Right on top was Star's phone. Marco opened the top drawer of the nightstand, and his heart sank. The dimensional scissors were gone. He looked around once again but he already knew he wouldn't find anything. He fell against the side of her bed and slumped down to the floor. Star was gone. And Marco had no way of following her.

 **Translations:  
 _hola - hello_  
** _ **abuela - grandmother  
nieto - grandson  
familia - family  
mariposa - butterfly  
gracias - thank you  
adios - goodbye**_

 **Author's note: First off, thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story so far. Every follow, every favorite, every review left brings a smile to my face XD. Special thanks to JustTheDog for doing some proofreading for this chapter, and presumably for future ones as needed.**

 **This chapter was definitely of the pulling teeth variety. I just got completely stuck on where to even start, luckily once I got that figured out everything else fell into place.**

 **Now onto news! I had been stuck on some of the pacing for later on. Basically everything was happening at the same time in 8 different places. It was a mess. But I finally found a solution: One of the later chapters is now a two-parter!**

 **Next up is 'Fallen Star', then after that comes the big one: 'The Maelstrom Pt. 1' and 'The Maelstrom Pt. 2'**

 **Hold on tight**

 **-fatal**


	4. Chapter 4: Fallen Star, Pt 1

**Chapter 4: Fallen Star, Pt. 1**

Marco couldn't believe it. Where would Star had gone without him? And why? He sat at the foot of Star's bed, wondering what he could do. He wanted -no, _needed_ \- to find her. There was so much that needed to be said, so much time to be made up for. He thought back to the night of the sleepover, when things seemed to have really began. The speech he had given to the monster inside Truth or Consequences about heads and hearts had been more right than he'd even realized at the time. He _hadn't_ known how he'd felt. He'd always thought that Jackie would be the only girl for him, and while she was even more amazing in real life than the Jackie he'd built up in his head, at the end of the day there was only one choice for him. _It's you, Star. It will **always** be you._

Suddenly, a pair of dimensional scissors appeared in front of Marco and started opening a portal. Marco leapt up. It had to be Star! "Star!" Marco ran forward, throwing his arms out to hug her. Instead, he ran headfirst into what felt like a large, slimy wall that he promptly became stuck too. He looked up, confused. "Oh...hey Buff Frog." The frog monster peeled Marco off of him and set him down. "You, karate boy. Is Star Butterfly around?" Marco looked down. "I don't know. She left her phone, and the dimensional scissors are gone. Even if I knew...I have no way to reach her." Buff Frog hit the wall above Star's bed, clearly frustrated. " _Chert poberi_! That means she has already gone after him." Marco looked back to him, trying to remain calm. "Buff Frog...who has she gone after?" The large frog sat down, "Ludo. I make map to find him for Star Butterfly. I had investigated him, he had new army but was crazy, talking to wand. But I go back and learn something new, something Star Butterfly must know." Marco didn't know why, but what Buff Frog had just said filled him with dread. "Well...what is it?" The frog's face suddenly grew dark. "Ludo talk to wand...but then wand talk _back_. I don't know how, but someone _inside_ wand."  
" _That's_ why Ludo almost defeated Star...whoever was in the wand must've been helping him! I have to go after her!"  
"Da, I take you there. We hurry, yes?"

Buff Frog opened a portal back to Mewni, and Marco followed him through.

* * *

Star looked out at the field, then checked her map again. This was the place. Finishing up the last of her snacks, she marched forward grimly towards the large hole in the center. It was time.

* * *

Not far behind, Marco and Buff Frog had finally made it through the Forest of Certain Death. He sat on the edge of the woods, catching his breath for a moment. Without Star and her magic, the journey had been far more difficult than before. He looked over to Buff Frog, who motioned for him to follow. "There", he pointed. Marco looked over. It was one of Mewni's great cornfields, but it was completely empty. Marco was confused. "Is this it?" he asked. His companion nodded. "Look again." Marco did, and this time he noticed the large hole in the middle of the field. That must be where he was. Marco began quietly inching his way to the hole. Suddenly the ground shook, and several flashes of light shot out through the hole. They were too late. The battle had already begun.

Inside, Ludo was losing badly and was starting to panic. He had never seen Star this serious and it was all he could do to avoid her onslaught. Every spell of his seemed to be a little off, and what's worse was that the voice in the wand had gone silent. In their last fight she had guided him with every spell, ensuring that he always knew what to cast and where to strike. But now, when he needed it the most, the voice was gone.

Despite the weirdness of not having Marco around, Star found herself more focused on the fight without having to worry about his safety. She threw spell after spell at Ludo, while dodging the ones that came her way. Plus, this battle had none of the excitement and fun of previous encounters. Star just wanted to retrieve her spellbook and get back home to Marco.

Meanwhile, Marco and Buff Frog were watching the duel from behind a pillar in a cave. Marco couldn't take his eyes off of Star. She was completely in control. Every spell of hers was focused, and she remained completely unfazed by Ludo's counterattacks. She was intense, powerful...and strangely beautiful. She looked every inch the future queen of Mewni.

Ludo's last spell had gone well to her left, and Star seized the opportunity to use the most powerful spell she could think of. "SHOOTING STAR EXPLOSION!" The spell hit Ludo square on and threw him against the wall of the cave, his wand flying out of his hand. Star walked past her defeated enemy to the back of the cave where she had seen her spellbook. She could feel the book giving off a strange power, and the book flew open at her touch. Green light illuminated the pages as they flipped forward, stopping at a page in Eclipsia's chapter. Star peered closer, and her eyes grew wide at what she read: VANQUISHING SPELL (for things you want to **never** return). She backed away in horror, and the wand spoke to her. _"Don't be afraid, child..."_ Star dropped the wand in shock, and slowly it floated up from the floor to eye level. _"Don't be afraid...just say these words and this **worm** will bother you no longer."_ Wordlessly, Star grabbed her wand from where it hung in midair. Quickly scanning the incantation, she turned back to Ludo. He was now cowering against one of the walls. "Please...Star Butterfly...have mercy!" Her hands trembling, Star raised her wand up to Ludo's height. She hesitated. Could she do it? No more Ludo certainly _sounded_ nice, but this felt...wrong. Once more, the wand spoke. _"Why do you hesitate...what **more** could you possibly desire?"_ Star's hands grew shakier, and suddenly her mind's eye brought her the answer. The wand fell from Star's hands and she answered the wand's final question: "Marco."

Despite Buff Frog's protests, Marco ran forward upon hearing his name. "Star!" The princess's head jerked around at the sound of his voice. "Marco?!" She barely had time to turn towards Marco when he reached her, throwing his arms around her to pull her closer in than ever before. The pair hugged each other silently for a moment before Marco spoke up. "Star...there's something I have to tell you. A _big_ something." Star shifted herself to look at him, slightly puzzled. "Jackie and me...well, we decided we should just be buddies." Star's heart stopped, what could have possibly happened that Marco and Jackie would break up? And even weirder, why did Marco sound so _okay_ about it? Marco continued, his voice shaking a little bit as he tried to find the right words. "I...I went to your room the other night to see what was keeping you awake, and I overheard what you were talking about with your mother. I know it was wrong, and I should have just forgotten what I heard, but...I couldn't. Because...Star Butterfly, Princess of Mewni, I'm in love with you."

Star's heart was racing. Everything she had been through in the past week, and Marco had just come right out and confessed? She didn't want to question it, but it seemed almost too good to be true. "Heyyy Marco? Could you...could you say that last part again?" She locked eyes with Marco. He spoke again, and this time it was without any hesitation or fear. "Star, I love you." Star giggled, her face glowing bright red and her heart barely able to contain the joy she felt at hearing him say that. She shifted her arms from around his shoulders, gently grabbing the front of his sweatshirt and pulling him slightly forward so that his forehead rested against her own. "Well, it's a little unfair considering you already know...but I'm _completely_ in love with you, Marco Diaz." Their lips were mere inches apart, and the feeling of his breath against her face was driving Star _wild_. A small smile broke out on his face, and now it was Marco who was giggling with relief. _He knew how I felt, and he was **still** worried_ , Star realized. Poor Marco, she would have to make it up to him somehow. They stood there for a few moments not speaking a word, sharing the newfound intimacy found between them. There would be no more walls between them, no more secrets, no more misunderstandings. Everything that had come between them in the past was breaking down in the wake of their confession. Then without warning, something shifted, and the two became aware of just how _little_ space there was between them. Their breathing grew heavier, and now Star's arms found their way around Marco's neck and his hands cradled her face. Gingerly, the two of them leaned towards each other, slowly closing the gap between them. Star closed her eyes, her blood boiling as Marco moved in to kiss her.

Suddenly, Star felt an overwhelming amount of pain. Forcing herself to look around, she saw that Ludo had managed to retrieve his wand and was firing a powerful beam of energy hitting her dead on. She didn't know what spell Ludo was using but it was enough to bring her to her knees. Marco quickly picked up a stone and threw it Ludo's way, knocking him off balance and interrupting the spell. Star picked up her own wand, shaking with fury. She turned to Ludo, her eyes shining with green light. " **DO. YOU. HAVE. _ANY._ IDEA. WHAT YOU JUST INTERRUPTED?" ** Star screamed at him at the top of her lungs. The wand blazed with energy, hissing and throwing off sparks. Star raised her wand and threw the Vanquishing Spell at Ludo, directly striking his own wand that had been thrown up in defense.

Ludo's wand shattered, the force of the blast throwing Ludo and Star backwards. Star's wand and the star from Ludo's wand remained suspended in midair, bound together by the green beam of Star's spell. Marco and Star watched on in awe as the two halves began hovering towards each other. The pieces of the wand drifted closer and closer, and a moment later the second half of the wand's star clicked into place. Blinding green light shown from the now complete wand, and a swirling orb of magic started forming around it. From within the orb, the silhouette of a woman appeared. The silhouette reached out and grabbed the wand, and at her touch the wand grew longer, transforming itself into what must have been the woman's preferred form: an umbrella. The magic started dispersing, and now Star and Marco could make out the woman clearly. She was a little taller than Star, with striking dark eyes and lips. Her brown hair was mostly hidden under a wide-brimmed hat, and the markings on her cheeks were spades in the same shade as her eyes. Star clutched onto Marco, shaking with fear.

For the first time in over a hundred years, Eclipsa Butterfly had set foot on Mewni.

 **Author's note: Sooooooo looks like our two-parter comes earlier than expected! Realizing that ~1,500 words had only gotten me halfway and the desire to not rush through anything important to the story contributed to this. Plus, we got a Marco confession and an Eclipsa reveal, which is not bad if I do say so myself!  
Apologies for the constant shift in plans. From the beginning I've basically only had a couple things I wanted to happen and a couple places I want to go, and the rest of it has sorta been made up as we go along. Happy Holidays, Peace to All, enjoy.**

 **-fatal**


	5. Chapter 5: Fallen Star, Pt 2

**Chapter 5: Fallen Star, Pt. 2**

"Star, who is that?"

Marco had learned very quickly that when it came to Star, anything was within the realm of possibility. Still, a woman emerging from the wand who Star was clearly _terrified_ by? That was pushing it a little.

Star, on the other hand could hardly speak. She didn't know much about Eclipsa, having only first known of her on her journey to fix her wand and then reading a little more about her in her spellbook. But it was enough to know that she was not someone you ever wanted to cross paths with. And besides, Eclipsa had lived hundreds of years before. Yet here she was, admiring her reflection in a mirror she had conjured up as though she had just woken up from a light nap.

"Star..." Marco tried asking again, "What's going on?"

Star finally discovered the ability to form words again, but before she could say anything she was interrupted. "Why Star, aren't you going to introduce me to this _lovely_ boy of yours?" Star looked around for the source of the voice, and when she couldn't find anyone else in the room she turned back to where Eclipsa was standing. Star was surprised at the sound of her voice, it was...almost pleasant. Definitely not the voice you'd imagine a centuries old evil witch to have. "Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to come say hi to your Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandmother?" Star laughed nervously, holding Marco's hand tightly. "I'm...gonna stay right over here if that's alright. Marco, this uh, this is Eclipsa. She's one of my ancestors from a _long_ time ago. Also...she might be **very** evil." Eclipsa had heard her and smiled almost demurely, "Evil? I prefer to think of myself as...misunderstood. What was mine was taken from me; I simply fought to get it back." She turned to Star now, and Star could see now that her eyes were dark and cold. "Isn't that what _you'll_ do, my dear girl?" Star was taken aback. "What're you talking about?" Eclipsa's smile suddenly turned wicked. "Why, you don't think they'll let you _keep_ him, do you? Sure, they'll let you have your fun now, but when your time comes you'll marry who they want you to. That's what a queen must do after all! How do you think they'll react when they meet him?" Star tilted her head to the side quizzically, if Eclipsa had been inside the wand shouldn't she have known? "Uh...my parents have already met Marco, and they like him. A lot. And besides...even if something were to happen, I wouldn't hurt anybody over it. Marco wouldn't want that." Eclipsa sighed. "Oh, Star...I so hoped you would see things my way." The star symbol at the tip of her umbrella started glowing, and a powerful pulse of green light came from it. The ground around them started shaking. Bones started emerging from the ground and out of the cave walls, quickly putting themselves back together into what must have been hundreds of monster skeletons. Eclipsa was raising an army. Two of them immediately grabbed Star, pulling her away from Marco. "MARCO!" she cried out after him, but when he tried to run to her two more of them seized him as well. Eclipsa looked around at her newly assembled army and nodded with approval. Then she turned to Star, still struggling to try and free herself. "You may be the most powerful user of that wand since, well since myself. I hope you will understand why I must do this then." Eclipsa raised her umbrella once again, casting a vortex of green light at Star. To her horror, Star could feel herself being pulled towards the source of the spell, her signature headband getting knocked off in the process. Marco finally managed to throw off his captors and lunged to grab her, but it was too late. Star had vanished into the heart of the vortex.

"STAR!" Marco cried out, lunging at Eclipsa only to run into two of her guards. "What have you done to her? Where is she?" Eclipsa smiled at Marco, unfazed by his attack. "Don't worry dear boy, I believe she will be quite safe where she is. Besides, I've awaited this far too long and _nothing_ can be allowed to stand in my way now." She turned now to the skeletal masses assembled there. "Prepare to march, we are going home!" Eclipsa's army fell into formation as quickly as they could and began marching towards Mewni Castle.

* * *

Star woke up on a cold, hard floor. She sat up, trying to take in her surroundings and figure out where she was. The place looked like Mewni Castle but something seemed...off about it. Star couldn't put her finger on it as she walked around, but then she turned a corner and gasped. The room before her contained a star shaped window that reached from the floor to the ceiling, and through it Star could see Eclipsa's army advancing towards the castle with Marco in tow. Star instantly realized where she was.

"I'm...inside the wand?"

* * *

Buff Frog made his way through the woods as fast as he could. Luckily, he alone knew the fastest way to get to the castle. After the army had left, he had grabbed Star's headband and started making his way there. He may not have particularly cared for the royal family, but he felt like he owed Star for the help she had given him. They had to be warned of what was coming.

* * *

It wasn't far to the barrier surrounding the castle, at which point the army stopped to allow Eclipsa to reach the front. She struck the barrier with the wand and immediately it started to disappear. A moment later and it was gone completely, allowing her to advance. The castle was strangely quiet. The guards normally at the gate and patrolling the walls were nowhere to be found. Another spell was all it took and the front gate was lowered to allow them entry. Mewni Castle had fallen without a sound.

Eclipsa made her way to the throne room with Marco being dragged along close behind. She frowned, there were still no guards to be found and the king seemed to have disappeared as well. Queen Moon sat alone in her throne, she had clearly been expecting someone.  
"And there she is, dear old Moon the Undaunted! Surprised to see me?"  
"Somewhat. I knew of the prophecy about your return, but I had hoped it would never come to pass."  
Your daughter has told me _so_ much about you. But where, oh where is your dear husband? Has he run away to hide? It was always the women in the family who were the strong ones..."  
"You will never find him or our army. You may take this castle, but as long as they are out there you will never take all of Mewni."  
The wicked grin returned to Eclipsa's face. "And whatever makes you think _Mewni_ is what I'm after? I have plans far greater than simply this boring old place. In fact..." She turned away and walked out to the balcony. Hundreds of monsters were gathered in the courtyard below, having been emboldened by the disappearance of the castle's barrier. Eclipsa stood on the edge of the balcony and started addressing the crowd gathered below. "Creatures of Mewni, my name is Eclipsa Butterfly, and I have come to set you free! No longer will you suffer under the tyranny of the Mewman royalty, no longer will your lives be spent in hunger and fear, Mewni belongs to you!" The crowd erupted into cheers, Eclipsa smiled to herself and continued. "No longer will you be driven away and force to hide in the woods like beasts, you will live amongst the Mewmans as their equals! My humble servant Ludo will remain here as your protector, and this castle that has stood here a thousand years as a symbol of your oppression shall be taken away forever!" The crowd went wild, and with a wave of her hand they went off to enforce her reign. Eclipsa turned back to her prisoners. "Well now that that's taken care of...there's a whole new realm I've had my eyes on for the longest time." Eclipsa now looked into the orb at the end of her umbrella, "I told you you were the most powerful wielder of this wand since myself, but sadly you just don't have the knowledge to make use of it's _true_ power. Watch now, and see the power _I_ wield!"

Suddenly, the entire castle started shaking. Marco could only watch in awe as the entire castle started pulling away from the ground below. Above them, a dimensional portal much bigger than any he had ever seen before, and the castle slowly floated up and into it. Almost instantly, they were through the portal to the other side. Eclipsa motioned at the two minons holding Marco, and they brought the struggling boy forward to her. "Look familiar, Marco? I've seen so much of this realm in such a short time...I've grown quite fond of it." Marco's eyes grew wide as he recognized where they were: Earth.

Mewni Castle now hung in the skies above Earth, overlooking the Los Angeles skyline.

* * *

"Hold this for me, will you? I don't want her to miss a moment of this." Eclipsa seized Marco by the arm, handing off the umbrella to one of her guards. Marco thrashed around to try and free himself, but Eclipsa's grip was surprisingly strong. "Let. Me. Go!" She laughed, "You want me to let you go? Well, since you asked so nicely..."

Inside the wand, Star was transfixed in horror at the sight of Eclipsa inching Marco closer and closer to the edge. She pounded against the giant star window, desperately trying to free herself and save him. They were now at the very edge of the balcony, looking down to the city hundreds of miles below. Eclipsa looked directly at her with cold, heartless eyes.  
"Believe me, Star...it _breaks_ my heart to have to do this. But you must understand, I cannot allow you to interfere with my plans. Even trapped in there you still threaten to undo everything...but without him, I imagine you'll be in no state to cause me any trouble."  
"NO NO NO!" Star had never felt more powerless, continuing to pound on the glass to no avail.  
Eclipsa looked back to Marco, who was now panicking as he dangled over the edge, "Now, Marco...say goodbye."  
Marco looked to the wand, continuing to struggle against her grip. "I love you, Star."

Eclipsa stayed true to her word and let him go. Marco screamed as he plummeted off the edge of the castle towards the ground below.

"MARCOOOOOO!"

* * *

Star felt numb. She slumped against the window, hugging herself tightly to try and keep herself together. "No...no no no no no no...", she mumbled. When she had seen Marco kissing Jackie it had broken her heart; now, it felt as though half of it had been ripped out entirely. It wasn't fair! It had only been hours since Marco had confessed his love to her, yet this was going to be her last memory of him. Helpless, terrified, and falling to his doom. The realization of that was too much for Star, and she broke down sobbing on the floor. Tears pooled around her face, but Star didn't care. She just wanted to cry and cry and never stop. But then, she heard something over the sound of her sobs. Footsteps.

The footsteps were slow and shuffling, and Star could hear what sounded like a cane of some sort with every other step. Slowly but surely, the footsteps drew closer and closer. Then suddenly, they stopped. A wrinkled, reptilian hand reached out to Star. Her eyes followed the hand upwards, and when she saw the stranger's face she gasped. The face appeared to have aged several centuries and the hair was white now, but Star still recognized it instantly. "T-Toffee?"

The lizard-man looked down at Star, his eyes full of regret. "Princess Butterfly...I have much to answer for."

 **Author's note: Here we are finally! This...this was interesting. I got stuck several times, especially when it came to Eclipsa, but her voice finally came to me which helped immensely (side note: if/when she appears I nominate Helena Bonham Carter to voice her) It doesn't flow _as_ well as I'd like it too, hopefully I can make up for it in the next chapter. Good news is that now that I've appeased the followers for my other work (for now), I should be able to devote all of my writing time towards seeing us through till the end. Till next time**

 **-fatal**


	6. Chapter 6: The Maelstrom, Pt 1

**Chapter 6: The Maelstrom, Part 1**

 _The eclipse falls across the star,  
_ _One fears it shines no more  
_ _But sunlight finds it once again,  
_ _Brighter than before  
_ -Mewnian Prophecy

* * *

 **"...Breaking news, a storm has broken out over the skies in Los Angeles! At it's center: what appears to be some sort of castle, floating hundreds of miles above the ground! We go now to our weatherman, live at the scene. What's it look like out there, Todd?"**

 **"I can barely keep my feet on the ground in these winds, Greg! I'd say they're blowing at about 70 miles an hour and getting stronger by the minute! And that's not even accounting for the rain, I can barely see five feet in front of me! My advice is to stay inside and get to higher ground! Repeat: stay inside, and get to higher ground!"**

 **"Stay safe out there, Todd! We'll keep you updated on this weather emergency, and if these reports of a castle are true, what will surely be a hefty copyright lawsuit filed by Disneyland!"**

Angie Diaz's eyes were glued to the TV as she clung to her husband's arm.

"Marco...Star...where are you, _mijos_?"

* * *

Star took the hand outstretched to her, careful not to knock Toffee over as she pulled herself to her feet. She had so many questions on her mind she didn't know where to start. "Toffee? You're...alive. And inside my wand. And old. What the heck is going on?" The lizard chuckled quietly as he shuffled along as quickly as he could, leading Star down a hallway flanked by doorways as far as the eye could see. "Ah...Star Butterfly. Still so young, with so many questions. I told you I had a lot to answer for, so why don't we start at the very beginning, hmm?" Star nodded wordlessly. Anything to take her mind off of what she had just seen. Toffee cleared his throat, and began.

"For starters...I've been around for a _very_ long time. Out there, I needed to...keep up appearences; play the part of the suave, evil genius. In here, I felt no such need to keep up that pretense. So I allowed my appearence here to better reflect my true age."

"Years ago, before I became...this, I was a humble Mewman, serving in the Royal Guard. In time, I rose through their ranks and eventually was appointed as personal guard to Her Majesty the Queen: Eclipsa Butterfly."

"She was different then...a lot like you, Star. Always looking for adventure and excitement, always wanting to do things her own way...if she had someone like your friend Marco in her life, I imagine things would have turned out much differently..." A tear rolled down Star's cheek at the mention of his name, but somehow she was able to keep herself together enough to keep listening to Toffee's story.

"We became quite close, she and I. I was always covering for her whenever she decided to travel between dimensions and she shared my empathy for the creatures of Mewni. We would often bring surplus Mewnicorn to them late at night. One of those nights...she met him."

"The monster in the tapestry..." Star whispered, awestruck. Toffee nodded. "Indeed. He led a small group of them that had banded together to try and survive out there. He was strong, loyal and brave...and he made her feel free. Like she could be herself. They quickly grew inseperable, she began slipping out of the castle each night just to see him. Eventually, she decided that it wasn't enough. She didn't want to have to hide her love in the shadows any longer. So one day at court, in front of her mother, her father and her husband, she threw off her crown and declared that she would be Queen of Mewni no longer."

"I don't imagine that went over very well", Star said. Her companion shook his head sadly, "No...no, it didn't. The royal family was thrown into chaos...they couldn't risk their people finding out their Queen had given up her throne for the love of a monster! So...they locked her in the highest tower of Mewni Castle until she could 'come to her senses'." Toffee's voice lowered with anger. "It was _wrong_ , what they did to her. So one night, when it was my turn to keep guard at her tower...I covered for her one last time."

"You helped her escape..." Star whispered. "Yes...she managed to get away, but I was not so lucky. This is what was decided as my punishment." Toffee motioned to his claws and tail and laughed bitterly. "'Be one of those creatures you love so much, for the rest of your days!' I was stripped of my post and cast out to live in the woods. Months passed, and I started hearing whispers from among the others. That someone was coming from another dimension to free us! No one had heard what this person would look like or when they would arrive...but I knew. Her time spent in that tower...It changed her. She had always been intrigued by the darker side of magic, but being locked up in there turned it into an obsession. And now, she wanted revenge against her family and I knew that nothing would change her mind."

"I knew where she would be, it was a dimension she had often spoken of quite fondly. But she wasn't the same person I had known...so I went back to the Royal Family, and offered to lead them to her."

"Many brave Mewmans died that day, men and women who I once counted among my friends. She fought valiantly, but in the end, the monster she loved lay dead and she was imprisoned inside this very wand." They had reached the Grandmother Room within the wand. Star gasped once she saw Eclipsa's tapestry. The spot in the middle where she was once depicted was now empty, and it looked as though something -or _someone_ \- had torn her out. "This room isn't just tapestries of the former queens of Mewni...It's a sarcophagus. When they die, their spirits come here to rest. Your grandmother did, your mother will, and someday you will as well. A resting place for the dead... turned into a prison for the living."

"The royal family thought that that was the end of her...but I knew better. I knew that as long as that wand existed she would find a way to carry on, biding her time until she could break free. So I began my search for a way to destroy it. For many years I studied the wand however I could, talking to those who had fought against it's user, stealing into the castle's library to read whatever I could, watching and waiting. Eventually my patience was rewarded. I learned of several methods that could be used to destroy the wand completely." Toffee stopped in front of the tapestry of Star's mother. "As you can see...my first attempt ended rather disastorously."

"But I couldn't give up. I still felt guilt over what I had done all those years ago, and I would not rest until she was gone. So I waited until the wand came to you. Then...it was just a matter of finding the proper leverage." Toffee put his hand on Star's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your friend, Princess. I never meant any harm to come to him. I was blinded by my efforts to end the threat of Eclipsa...and it only led to more destruction."

"After the wand exploded in the wake of the Whispering Spell, I woke up here and I knew that once again my efforts had been thwarted. But now, I had access to all the knowledge of Mewni...apart from your spellbook, that is. I would _not_ fail again."

Toffee started walking towards the door, motioning for Star to follow. "Toffee...I'm so sorry. I never knew...I should have been more careful. But...where are we going?"  
"I just told you: all the knowledge of Mewni can be found inside this wand's replica of the library. If there's a way to get you out of this wand, that's where we'll find it!" Star ran to the door to hold it open for him. If Toffee was correct, there was no time to waste.

 **Author's note: Another two-parter, whoo! (don't hate me, it just worked out really well this way, things get room to breathe and it paces out well and whatnot) Toffee's backstory turned out longer than I had anticipated (plus I get more time to work on a moderate-to-large size battle for part two)**

 **-fatal**


	7. Chapter 7: The Maelstrom, Pt 2

**Chapter 7: The Maelstrom, Part 2**

 _Death cannot stop true love, all it can do is delay it for a while  
_ -Westley, _The Princess Bride_

* * *

 **"...And now back to our ongoing coverage, the Channel 5 Weather Van has been sent out into the field to get a different angle on what looks to be the storm of the century. Let's go live to them now!**

 **This storm is like nothing I've ever seen before Greg, it's like a hurricane but it just** _ **appeared**_ **out of nowhere...no one can explain where this castle came from and what it's doing in the sky. I've been on the phone with the NOAA, even they don't even know what to make of this and - oh my God...oh my God, what is** _ **that**_ **? Something just fell off of that castle, zoom in on that** _ **now**_ **!**

 **Holy shi-it looks like a** _ **kid**_ **! Are you seeing this?! I'm watching the footage now through the high zoom; it's blurry but it's definitely a kid!**

 **You saw it here on Channel 5 folks: an unidentified child has just fallen from the castle almost directly over the Pacific Ocean!"**

Jackie's eyes widened with shock, she could recognize that hoodie from a mile off. She jumped off of the couch and ran out to her parent's garage, popping the door open. She had never been more grateful that she only lived 5 minutes away from the beach, she would need every moment if there was any chance of reaching him in time.

* * *

Marco had begun to panic as the ground grew closer and closer. It felt like an eternity had passed since he had been thrown off the balcony of Mewni Castle, but at the rate he was falling he estimated he could start counting down his life in minutes. His mind had been running through all of his favorite memories of Star. Their dance beneath the light of the blood moon...the kiss they had finally almost shared just hours ago...every smile, every hug, every crazy new thing he learned about her...he wanted to remember it all in whatever time he had left. _I'm never going to see her again..._

It couldn't be much longer now, Marco closed his eyes and braced himself for the end.

" _MARCO!"_

Marco's eyes shot open. There was no mistaking that voice, and sure enough the tiny blue creature it belonged to popped out of his sweatshirt pocket.

"Glossaryck! What are you doing here?!"

"There's no time for that now! You only have a few more moments, but there's still a chance to save yourself!"

"What? How? Tell me!"

"Think, Marco! You've lived with a magical princess for almost a year, you've still a got a magical monster arm somewhere inside you, and you were even able to access a book of spells! What could that **possibly** mean, kid?"

Marco's mind kicked into top gear, and after half a minute his jaw dropped as he put the pieces together. It had been there all along, waiting for the moment when Marco would need it the most.

"I can...use magic?"

"Precisely! With all the time you've spent with dear our Star, it seems you've absorbed quite a bit of residual magic into your system! It won't be enough to break your fall-"

"But it might be enough to redirect it!"

Marco's head swerved around, an idea quickly forming in his head. But he still didn't know how to make use of magic at all and he was running out of time. "Alright, Glossaryck, now _what do I do_?!"

"Well, normally you need a magic wand or some kind of focus. This isn't the sort of thing you should be trying to pull off the same day you learn you can actually make use of magic, but in this one _extraordinary_ case, I think you might just be able to-"

"- **Dip down**...", Marco whispered. He closed his eyes, his mind taking him back to the day he had been locked in Star's closet. Glossaryck had talked riddles around him as usual that whole day, but eventually he had discovered the secret he was supposed to find: Star's journal. Pages flew by in his mind's eye, stopping at the last entry he had caught a glimpse of before Star had set him free: _My thoughts on Marco…_

All at once, it hit him. Suddenly, Marco felt himself slowing down. A strange warmth started growing inside him, and when his eyes opened back up they were glowing bright red.

Marco flipped himself upside down, trying to guide his freefall towards the water as best as he could. Glossaryck hopped back into Marco's pocket and held on tightly. An aura of the same red light surrounded Marco as he raised his hands.

Just before he hit the water's surface, Marco released the magic that had been building up inside of him, sending himself flying forward into a wave. He skimmed across the water's surface, each wave he crashed through slowing him down a little bit more until he stopped just a few yards short of the shoreline. He scrambled forward, getting clear of the water before the waves carried him back out. "Marco!" He looked up to see Jackie running towards him, but the magic had taken too much out of him and he was fading fast. Marco fell to the ground from exhaustion, barely managing to grab Jackie's hand before everything went black.

* * *

"My lady! It's just as you'd hoped, the storm has forced them all inside!" Eclipsa nodded with approval at her lieutenant. "Good, now go back to Mewni and gather your men, we'll begin our conquest at once! Is the queen secured in the tower as I asked?" Her lieutenant nodded and threw a quick salute. " _Excellent_...the royal family has been scattered to the winds, and soon this dimension shall be mine!" Her umbrella glowed, at her command the storm started dying down. She smiled, everything was finally going as she had planned.

* * *

Jackie sat on the beach, cradling Marco's head in her lap. After a minute, his eyes fluttered open again and he started coughing up water. "Marco! Thank god you're alright!" Jackie squeezed him gently as she sat him upright. "I saw you fall from that castle on TV...I'm glad I reached you in time!"

"I'm just glad…I paid attention in physics!" Marco looked from Jackie to the castle and then back again, still dazed from the fall he had taken. "What…what happened?"

" _Magic_ , kid. Magic happened." Glossaryck popped out of Marco's pocket once again, hovering around as he examined Marco closely. "Hmmm… even more extraordinary than I thought. There had been rumors and theories for _years_ about secondhand magic, but I never thought I would be the one to witness the first documented case!"

"Hold on- so no one has _ever_ done that before? And isn't 'dipping down' supposed to be some kind of super high level magic? How did you know I could pull it off?"

"I didn't. Well…not for sure, anyways. I had been keeping an eye on you for quite some time, and that was the only idea that made sense…but like I said, you're the first documented case of someone acquiring the ability to use magic who wasn't born naturally with it. Other people have used _wands_ before, but that's only a relatively small amount of a wand's built in magic. We're in _completely_ uncharted waters with you, kiddo. In the end, all I had was a hope and a prayer!"

Marco sighed, once again Glossaryck had left him in the dark. But despite his annoyance, he was just grateful to be alive at this point. The little blue man was now introducing himself to a very confused Jackie when Marco suddenly leapt to his feet.

"Star! She's…she's still up there! I've gotta help her!" He turned to Glossaryck, grabbing the little blue man. "What do I have to do? I have to get up there!"

Glossaryck's eyes widened as he pointed behind Marco. "Not to be _that_ guy…but we have bigger problems to worry about, kid!"

Marco turned around to where Glossaryck was pointing. Nearly a hundred of Eclipsa's soldiers were on the beach, completely surrounding the three of them. Marco, Glossaryck and Jackie quickly backed up, but the ocean was behind them and the soldiers were getting closer. Then suddenly, Marco heard the unmistakable sound of dimensional scissors from behind the advancing army.

"Look!"

Three portals opened up. King River came through the first one, spear in hand. Behind him came dozens of well armored men, charging directly into Eclipsa's forces. The Mewnian army had arrived. Eclipsa's forces barely had a moment to react before the Mewnian army crashed into them, sending bones and armor flying back.

"Diaz!" The king had torn a path through the army of monsters, nimbly vaulting himself to land directly beside Marco.

"King River! How did you know to come here?!"

"My dear Moon sent me and the rest of our army away after the frog-man warned us Eclipsa was coming! We were waiting for a signal, and when we felt that last burst of magic we figured that was as good a place as any to start our counterattack!" He looked around, his face falling. "But tell me Diaz, where is my daughter? And if the magic we felt wasn't hers…"

"It was the boy, my king." Glossaryck chimed in. "Remember what I talked with you and the queen about a couple of weeks ago? Well, his back was against the wall and…he **dipped**."

"Extraordinary! When all this is over, we'll have to assemble a training regimen for him as well!"

"CAN THIS WAIT?" Marco burst out, "Star's still up there, inside the wand! I don't know what I can do, but…she needs me!"

"Right! Sorry, got a little caught up in the excitement there! Diaz, help me clear out this rabble and I can secure you a transport up to the castle!" Marco nodded at the king, and with a fearsome battle cry the two of them leapt into the fray.

* * *

"You find anything, Toffee?!" Star and Toffee sat in the library, surrounded by piles of books. They had been looking for what felt like hours, yet they hadn't even made their way through a single shelf.

"Unfortunately not. All the time I've spent in here, you think I would know where everything is by now! I only wish I had known that someday I would need a proper spell…"

The pair worked frantically, tossing books haphazardly aside. What little time they might have to stop Eclipsa's plans was running out.

* * *

"That's the last of these!"

Marco fell to the ground to catch his breath. The king, the army and him had together made short work of the monsters assembled on the beach and were gathering a quick moment of reprieve, knowing that many more were waiting for them.

"Diaz!" The king called out to him. "Your chariot awaits!" Standing beside him was a fearsome looking horse with massive wings. Marco took a deep breath, taking the kings hand and boosting himself up onto the horse's back. "Now off with you! Go to your princess, my boy!"

Marco grabbed the reins, tying himself on as tightly as he could. "You better hold on tightly now, kid. We are going _straight_ into maximum overdrive."

"You…talk?" The winged horse nodded, and Marco shrugged his shoulders. "Of course, why wouldn't you talk?"

"Wait!" Jackie called after him, reaching out for his hand and pulling herself up to sit beside him on the horse. She slipped off the seashell necklace she always wore, quickly fastening it around Marco's neck. As soon as it came into contact with his skin, the necklace glowed with red light.

"Hmmm," Glossaryck peered out of Marco's pocket to take a look at the seashell. "Well, it's not a traditional focus, but I think it might do in a pinch!"

Marco hugged Jackie tightly. She blushed, and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Hey Marco…bring Star back for us, okay?" Marco smiled at her as she slid off the horse, snapping the reins and holding on tightly as he rocketed skyward. _Hold on, Star...I'm coming..._

* * *

Star groaned in frustration, throwing herself backwards to the floor. "Ughhhhh, this is pointless! Even if there's a spell here that can help me, there's no way we're finding it in time!"

"We can't give up now, there has to be _something_ you could use! We just need to keep looking!"

Star sighed, sitting herself upright again and reaching for another book. Suddenly, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. A strange energy was approaching the castle from below. She couldn't say for sure, but it almost felt like… _magic_.

Star ran out of the library, back to the room with the window. Her eyes widened as she looked outside, red light illuminating the sky. "Impossible…" she heard Eclipsa whisper in shock. Star gasped, putting her hand on the window as the source of light rose above the balcony.

"…Marco?"

 **Author's note: Umm...all the cool kids were on hiatus so I thought I would as well? No? Ah well...it was worth a shot. Honestly...I just got a little burnt out between this, school and other stories. But now we return, Marco lives, all is well!**

 **(SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION BEGINNING) Also, you should _definitely_ read my other Star vs story if you want to know what I was up to when I wasn't writing this. It's under my profile as Starcoversary! (END SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION)**


	8. Chapter 8: Heart of a Star

**Chapter 8: Heart of a Star**

 _Star the Fearless, earned her name,  
When Mewni fell, and evil came_

 _She took her earthly prince in hand,  
And wiped the darkness from the land_

 _Then to her kingdom she returned,  
Bringing all that she had learned  
_

 _And when her time to rule did come,  
A better world, for everyone_

\- Inscription for "Star the Fearless"

* * *

"… _How did you do it? If I thought I had lost you…I don't think I could have kept going…how did you not lose hope?"_

" _Because I had you, Marco…even when everything was telling me you were gone, your light never left my heart. Not for a single second."_

* * *

"Impossible, you say?" Glossaryck had popped out of Marco's pocket to face his old pupil. "Now, I know it's been a long time since our lessons but _surely_ you haven't forgotten the one about what's impossible?"

Eclipsa's face hardened, "Enough of your riddles! I should have known you'd have something to do with this, Glossaryck!"

"No riddles my dear, you and I are far beyond those. Just… humor an old man, and answer my question one last time: what did we learn about the impossible?"

Eclipsa folded her arms and pursed her lips to the side. "'What's impossible grows less and less with each passing day.' Those were your exact words."

"Prrrrrrrecisely! One day it's a long lost queen returning for vengeance upon her family, the next it's a human boy being able to use magic! The world grows stranger and stranger every day…" His voice trailed off, and when Glossaryck looked back to Eclipsa, Marco thought he almost looked...sad.

"Your Highness, I beg of you…please end this."

"Glossaryck…" Eclipsa's voice faltered, she had never seen her old teacher… _pleading_. But she had come too far, and her goal was almost within her grasp.

"I'm sorry."

Glossaryck turned back to Marco with grim determination. "Alright, Mr. Diaz. Now, she has a great many more years of experience then you do. I would suggest a slower, more cautious approach so you can –"

" _HIIIIIII-YAH!"_ Marco yelled with fury as he hurled an orb of fiery red light at Eclipsa.

Glossaryck sighed. The boy still had much to learn, and he was going to have to do it quickly.

* * *

"…Mmmmaaarrcoooooo…"

Star hadn't been able to take her eyes off Marco. Not only had he come back to her, but somehow he was now using _magic_ to fight Eclipsa.

"Well…that's certainly unexpected." Toffee had made his way back to the window chamber, and he was now standing behind Star to watch as Marco fought to try and subdue Eclipsa.

"STAR!" Star shook herself out of her trance. Marco's hand was grabbing wildly for the wand, and one of his fingers touched the glass for a split second before a beam of green light hit him square in the chest and sent him flying backwards.

"MARCO!" Star put her hand on the glass right where his finger had just been, and for a moment it was almost felt like she could reach him. She slumped against the glass for a moment, but quickly cried out in pain and jumped backwards. The glass was suddenly burning hot, and the spot where Marco and Star had both touched it was…glowing. Star watched wide-eyed as the glow expanded all the way to the top of the glass, and when the glow had faded she gasped.

The star window was split clean down the middle, just as her wand had been before.

* * *

Meanwhile, Marco was quickly realizing that not listening to Glossaryck had been a huge mistake. He was holding nothing back in his attacks against Eclipsa, but whatever strength he had was no match for her experience. It was as though she knew where he was going to strike even before he did, and it was only through sheer luck that he was avoiding her counterattacks.

The magic was starting to take its toll on him, every spell felt like it could be the one that drove him past the point of exhaustion. He made several more attempts, but finally he stumbled and was immediately hit square in the chest by one of Eclipsa's spells. Marco flew backwards, slamming into the wall behind him and quickly scrambling to find someplace to hide and catch his breath.

Once again, Glossaryck emerged from Marco's pocket. "Mrrrrrr. Diaz, are you ready to listen to my advice now?"

Marco groaned, the last thing he needed now was more of Glossaryck's head games.

"Look, Diaz. I know that you and I have… _disagreed_ on things in the past, but I've been teaching magic for quite some time and if you want to make it through this you need to trust me. So, are you ready to try things _my_ way?"

Marco sighed, "Your way…your way sounds just fine, Glossaryck."

Glossaryck clapped his hands happily. "Excellent! Now…as you can see, Eclipsa has you completely outmatched. The direct approach you've been trying isn't ever going to work. Long story short: you're going to need help."

"Star…Star's inside the wand, but I don't know how to get her free. I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

Glossaryck pondered the idea for a moment. "Hmmmm…I may have something, I just need one more answer, could you do me a favor and stand upright?"

Marco obliged, and another blast from Eclipsa's wand hit him in the chest, sending him scurrying for cover once again. "And just what the heck was the purpose of that?!"

"Just needed to check something! That spell should have knocked you clean off your feet, so it's like I thought: there's still something wrong with the wand."

"What's going on with it? I thought Eclipsa brought the pieces back together?"

"Well yes, she did…but look at the wand Marco, look _very_ closely!" Marco quickly peeked out from behind the wall to look at the orb on Eclipsa's umbrella. He could only catch a glimpse before another spell flew past his face, but when he peered back out to try and get another look his eyes widened.

Both of the wand's pieces were there, but the symbol on it was split down the middle, just as Star's had been.

"Hold on, the wand…it's still broken!"

"Brrrilliant observation, Mr. Diaz! The pieces are reunited, but the wand is still not _whole_. Big difference! And if there's a crack in the wand…"

"…Then does that mean I could reach Star through it?"

"Well, it is definitely worth a shot!"

"Wait – with all that Eclipsa knows, why couldn't she make the wand whole again?

"There's no spell in the universe that can fix that wand, the only way it can be done is by the one who broke it."

"So…we need Star back more than ever it looks like!"

"No, Diaz…the only person who can fix the wand is _you_."

* * *

Star was pacing back and forth. Surely there had to be some way to use the crack in the wand to get herself out. But how?

"I don't suppose you have any ideas, Toffee?"

Toffee sighed. "Nothing, sadly. There's nothing in the wand's history that tells us what to do if the wand is cracked…"

"Well then, I'll make my own way out!"

Star slipped her hands into the crack, straining as she attempted to force it open. But it was no use, and a moment later she stumbled back from the crack to catch her breath, Then, out of nowhere, a spell came to her.

" _Queens of Mewni, long since past_

 _Send me strength, and send it fast_

 _Give me aid to set me free,_

 _And go back where I'm meant to be"_

Star's eyes started glowing with blue light. She reached back into the crack, and the same blue light started shining through it. Slowly but surely, the crack started inching open as Star forced the two pieces apart.

* * *

"Me!? But _why_?" Marco "Glossaryck, I wasn't the one who broke the wand!"

"Well…maybe you didn't do it yourself, but make no mistake: it was broken because of you.

The wand changing form isn't just for show; it's a reflection of whoever wields it. Star giving up her wand was the hardest thing she ever had to do up until then, but she did it without hesitation because it was to save _you_. The idea of losing you broke her heart, and the lengths she was willing to go for you broke yours. And you've never stopped. You two have been breaking each other's hearts every single day since then.

But here's the funny thing about the heart: the right person can fix it up far more easily than it breaks. And so it was with the two of you – as quickly as you broke each other's hearts you fixed them right back up. Some of the pieces were from your own heart, and others were entirely new, but in the end everything fit together nice and neat.

That's what love has always seemed like to me: two hearts breaking each other so they can fit together perfectly."

Marco could only stare slack-jawed at Glossaryck. He had never thought that Star's teacher could understand feelings at all. Yet, Glossaryck had just managed to explain the feelings he and Star shared in a way that brought a tear to his eye.

"Alright, little dude, let's do this. How do we get Star out of that wand?"

"Well," Glossaryck said, looking behind Marco, "Let's see what we can do with that."

* * *

Marco turned around to see what Glossaryck was looking at. His eyes widened. A crack had been formed in the air behind him, identical to the crack that had been in Star's wand with blue light pouring out from it. Marco ran to it, dodging Eclipsa's spells along the way. He reached the crack and peered inside.

Star was right on the other side, straining to try and keep the crack open. "STAR!"

She looked up at the sound of her name. "MARCO!"

"Star! Take my hand!"

Marco grabbed onto the wall behind him and reached into the crack, stretching as far as he could to try and reach her. At last, his hand reached hers and he gripped it tightly. "Hang on!"

Marco braced himself. "One, two…three!" He pulled Star forward, struggling as she squeezed through the crack as best she could. "Almost…there!" With one final heave, Star freed herself from the crack, tumbling into Marco's arms.

Marco and Star held each other tightly, it felt like a lifetime had passed since they had last seen each other.

"Marco…" Star whispered, a single tear running down her face.

"I'm here, Star…I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere _ever_ again."

"Well, isn't this _touching_ …" Star and Marco had been too caught up in their reunion to notice her approach, but now Eclipsa loomed over the pair, wand in hand.

"You will NEVER hurt him again, Eclipsa!" Star lunged in front of Marco, her eyes blazing.

"And what makes you think you can stop me?!"

Her eyes glowing once again, Star raised her hand as she called forth every last ounce of her power. A bright blue beam of light shot from her hand and sent Eclipsa flying backwards. Her umbrella fell to the ground, and Star reached down to reclaim it as her own. But before she could, the wand started floating up into the air with sparks flying from it's core. Star quickly backed away as the wand let out a blinding flash of blue light.

* * *

Star sat up in a daze, still reeling from the blast. It had knocked her backwards for about the third time that day, luckily she had landed right in Marco's lap so she wasn't badly hurt. "Marco!" Star shook Marco gently to try and wake him up.

"Ughhh...Star, what's going on?" Marco sat up, rubbing his head.

"I don't know Marco! The wand...it just started freaking out! Did Eclipsa do something to it? I don't know what to do!"

"Diaz!" As if on cue, Glossaryck had once again made himself visible. "Remember what I told you about the wand?"

"GLOSSARYCK!" Star cried out, happily grabbing her teacher to hug him as best as she could. "Glossaryck, I'm so glad you're safe!"

"It's nice to be back to you too, Star. But our reunion will have to wait, if we don't fix that wand it could destroy this entire dimension! Now Diaz, what did I tell you about the wand no more than ten minutes ago?"

"You said a lot of things about the wand...but I'm guessing what you want me to think of is: 'Together, but not whole'"

Glossaryck nodded, surprised that Marco had gotten there that quickly. "Innndeeed! In order to fix the wand, YOU must make the pieces whole!"

 _Make them whole...how do I make them whole?_ He racked his brain, trying to think of a solution.

 _Wait a minute, I'm looking at this all wrong..._ _Star and I, **we're** the pieces!_

"Star," Marco turned to his friend, gently taking her hand, "I was hoping this would be under more pleasant conditions, but..." His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. Star quietly gasped as she and Marco locked eyes. She linked her arms around his neck, and leaned forward to meet his lips.

Blood red moonlight shown through the clouds upon the young couple; the wand threw off one more bolt of lightning and then fell to the ground; and Star and Marco were quite literally _glowing_ with light as their lips melted into each other.

Their first kiss was, simply put, _magical_.

* * *

"Marco..." Star said breathlessly as she pulled away from Marco, every fiber of her being begging her not to stop. "I still have...to finish this." She looked over to where Eclipsa had been thrown by the wand's blast. Marco nodded, but when he moved to follow Star she shook her head and held him back. "This is my family's business, Marco... I have to do this myself."

Star walked over to Eclipsa, picking her wand along the way. The queen had picked herself up and was sitting on the edge of the balcony, looking out over the Earth below. She turned towards Star, her face a mask of defeat.

"Eclipsa..."

"Well...go ahead. Finish this."

Star gingerly put her hand on Eclipsa's shoulder. "Eclipsa...I'm sorry."

Eclipsa looked up to Star, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"I know the truth about what happened to you, and how you ended up inside the wand. The way our family treated you...it was wrong. They should never have tried to come between you and your true love. If I lost Marco...I probably would have ended up doing the same thing." Star looked back to Marco, a small smile on her face.

Eclipsa frowned, but Star pressed forward. "I can't bring him back, and I can't undo what happened all those years ago...but there's someone who I think you should see."

Star held her wand up with both hands, closing her eyes and focusing her magic to open a bright green portal behind Eclipsa. Star gestured for Eclipsa to turn around, just as Toffee stepped through. The dark queen ran forward, embracing her old friend.

"Toffee! I-I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Neither did I...but I'm glad."

"All those years you spent trying to stop me...what changed your mind?"

"The same thing that changed yours," Toffee smiled, "Star Butterfly, and Marco Diaz."

Eclipsa smiled, pulling Star forward to hug her tightly. "Star...I never thought...I don't even know what to say. Well...actually I do. Thank you, Star. Your forgiveness, well, it means the world to me!"

"Awww! You are quite welcome, however-great grandmother! Soooo...what're you going to do now?"

"Well, first Toffee and I have some catching up to do! After that...I think we're going to be traveling for quite some time. Uncovering different methods of magic, things like that!" Eclipsa pulled out the dimensional scissors she had taken from one of the royal guards, cutting open a dimensional portal. "I shall hope to see you soon, Star!"

"Me too! Just don't try and...y'know, destroy Marco next time, please?"

Eclipsa laughed, "Of course not, my dear. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could!" She turned to Marco as she and Toffee headed into the portal. "And Marco?"

Marco looked with confusion at the queen. "Yes...?"

Eclipsa smirked, "Wherever we happen to be...we _will_ expect a wedding invitation!"

The portal closed behind them, leaving Star giggling at Marco as his jaw hit the floor.

* * *

Marco and Star sat hand in hand on the castle balcony, watching the sun rise up to end the longest night of their lives.

"Well, that just about wraps things up, don't you think?" Glossaryck said, floating behind the pair. "Sorry, I know you two are in... _the middle_ of something, but we can't stay here for much longer." He gestured towards the castle as dozens of dimensional portals started opening up around it, various beings all wearing the same uniform pouring out and quickly surveying the castle.

"Glossaryck, who the heck are these guys?!" asked Marco.

"They're assistants of the Magic High Commission, they're here to make sure your castle makes it back where it belongs in one piece." Glossaryck sighed, "We'll be meeting the commission before too long, I imagine they'll have a lot of questions after this... _incident_ , and when I go I'll be able to, well, show you off as well!"

"Oh, that's _right_!" Star looked back at Marco, "Sooooo...you know magic now, huh? When, uh, when dd that happen?"

Glossaryck piped in before Marco could get a chance to respond. "Well, he's certainly unable to _use_ magic, saying that he knows it might be a bit of a stretch at this point!"

"HEY!" Marco exclaimed, "I literally just found this out _hours_ ago, just give me some time and I will _blow. your. mind._ " He turned to Star once again, "Glossaryck didn't really explain it to me, but the gist of it seemed to be all the time we spent together caused your magic to rub off on me!"

"Well put, Mr. Diaz!" Glossaryck turned to Star with a wink, "You gave him some magic, and I'm sure he'll give you some, uh, _magic_ in return before too long, hmmm?"

"W-w-what are you talking about, Glossaryck?" Star could feel the heat rising in her face as it turned bright red.

"Oh come now, Princess. What's a little magic shared between friends?" Star and Marco looked at each other, their faces mirroring each other in both shade and expression. It was too much for them, and the two of them doubled over with laughter as Glossaryck looked onward, wildly amused by the whole thing. The pair were finally able to pick themselves up, and Marco took Star by the hand.

"Alright, Star...let's go home."

One more dimensional portal was opened, and the three of them went through after fetching the book of spells. As soon as Star and Marco stepped back into his house, the two of them collapsed onto the couch.

They were going to need all the sleep they could get. Long days were just ahead, days filled...with _magic_.

 **Author's note: Annnnnd that's a wrap! That...certainly did not go how I expected it too. To be honest, nothing about this story has really gone as I originally thought it would. What can I say, I'm a gardener (google the quote by George R.R. Martin about gardeners versus architects if you want to know what i'm talking about). There are a few bits I would have done differently in hindsight, but overall this story has been near and dear to my heart and I happen to be quite proud of how it turned out! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed/favorited/followed/beta read. You are all marvelous human creatures. Peace**

 **-fatal**


	9. Stay Tuned!

_Star and Marco will return in_ _ **Starco: Makin' Magic**_ **!**


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